Analog Gear News

A few weeks ago, we reported that Metaxas & Sins’ flagship Papillon reel-to-reel tape player was finally seeing proper North American availability, thanks to a new deal with Reel Sound Distribution. Relatively speaking, we would most certainly be quite remiss if we didn’t amend that story with a closer look at two other top-tier Metaxas & Sins products that are also now seeing North American distribution debuts — namely, the Perambulator turntable and the Combobulator tonearm — and thus, that time is now.

Before diving into the features of these two truly great pieces of gear, it’s worth reiterating that Florida-based Reel Sound Distribution Inc. is the exclusive distributor of the Metaxas & Sins audio line, following a partnership agreement with designer Kostas Metaxas. To learn more about all that — the distro deal details, the overall product design goals of recording engineer-cum-designer Metaxas, and more about the Papillon itself — go here to read our initial M&S report that posted on AP back on May 15.

Now, let’s zero in on the company’s quite impressive-looking turntable, the Perambulator (shown above, on its stand). The Perambulator — which you’ll sometimes see referenced to by its quite-British abbreviation, the Pram — has been CNC’ed from a block of solid 6061 aircraft-grade aluminium (or titanium), and it is said to eliminate the usual reflections and refractions of resonances “inherent in all turntables.”

Metaxas has constructed the Perambulator’s round platter in such a way that the boundary between the lathe-turned aluminium base has organic undulations connecting it to a dedicated acrylic platter mat. The recessed label area is further said to add another level of isolation and evacuation.

The ’table’s ultra-precision, voltage-regulated belt-drive system, which features a Swiss Maxon motor, is intended to rotate the platter without adding any external speed variations or vibrations.

The Perambulator turntable comes standard with the following accessories: 3 x 2mm (x300mm) neoprene rubber belts, a vial of bearing fluid (“very little is required,” the company confirms), a spirit level gauge, a set of wrench keys (1.5mm to 4mm), and a spare synthetic-diamond 10mm ball.

Meanwhile, the Combobulator tonearm (shown above) comprises “100 percent” titanium construction, and it features an underswept organic counterweight that is said to not only accommodate a larger range of cartridge weights, but also decrease the moment of inertia of the arm by keeping the weight closer to the pivot point.

Other features of the Combobulator include polished diamond pivots that fit into adjustable and lockable sapphire V-jewel bearings; a titanium tube with varying diameter fuse-welded to the headshell; a weight balance in line with the cartridge cantilever; and an open-sculpted headshell with a built-in finger lift.

Specs for the Combobulator include an effective length pivot point to the cartridge mounting hole as 230mm; effective mass of the headshell and wand as 28g; the main V bearing holder as 74g; the base (RCAs) as 136g; and the first pivot assembly as 20g.

Finally, the Combobulator’s included Denon DL-304 moving coil (MC) phono cartridge has a recommended tracking force or1.2g ±0.2g, and it weighs 7g.

The SRP for the Metaxas & Sins Perambulator turntable, which includes two armboards in the standard finish and the dedicated stand, is $44,000. The SRP for the Metaxas & Sins Combobulator tonearm in titanium is $10,000.

For more about Metaxas & Sins, go here.
To find an authorized Metaxas & Sins retailer in the U.S. and Canada via Reel Sound Distribution, go here.